Sorry
by Mokusan
Summary: Ino has always compared her teammates to Sasuke. What does a lovesick Shikamaru have to say on the matter? [ShikaIno]


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.  
**A/N:** This was inspired by a DeviantArt picture titled "Not Your Sasuke" by frzdragon. The link to the picture can be found in my profile. All observation of Shika/Sasuke comparisons go to her, of course; I simply molded it into a drabble-fic. Anywho. Hope you enjoy, despite the shortness.

* * *

_I'm sorry..._

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he stared over the table and out into the street. His arms were folded on the table and his head rested on his arms. Chouji sat beside him, munching on the leftovers still set out on the barbeque; Asuma was asleep and Kakashi was heavily immersed in reading in the booth seat opposite them. But despite his quiet company, Nara Shikamaru felt very much alone.

_I'm sorry I'm not as cool._

Sakura, Ino, Sasuke and Naruto stood in the street. All four wore a silly grin to some degree. Naruto stood off to the side, blabbering away about this and that, oblivious to most of his surroundings. Sasuke was between Ino and Sakura, both of which were fawning over the top rookie with their usual gushing compliments.

_I'm sorry I'm not as handsome._

The class heart-throb seemed hardly bothered; in fact, he seemed to be enjoying the attention for once, rather than shoving it aside with an annoyed sigh. In turn, Ino and Sakura only continued to swoon. Naruto seemed to notice that he was not receiving any attention and accused Sasuke of being a girl-hog.

The blond began a string of incoherent yelling, the likes of which anyone that knew him could easily ignore. This left Sasuke, Ino and Sakura to converse all they liked without Naruto's interruptions; it was as if the enthusiastic ninja wasn't there.

_I'm sorry I'm not as talented._

Shikamaru sighed a second time, lifting his head to glance lazily at Chouji. His friend seemed about as bored as he was, but made no move to leave the table. Shikamaru, on the other hand, couldn't stand watching the one-sided flirting any longer. He stood and made to leave the restaurant.

"Where are you going?" Chouji asked, eyebrows knitting in concern; Shikamaru never left the table first.

"Home." Shikamaru shrugged. "Later."

"... Good night." Chouji frowned as his friend set off at his own steady pace. There was something wrong, but he knew better than to pry. If Shikamaru wanted him to know, he'd tell him.

_I'm sorry I'm not the 'bad boy'._

He could still hear Ino and Sakura's shrieks of laughter even as the warmth of the shop faded away. Naruto's yells were not far behind, nor were Sasuke's angry shouts. To anyone it might seem that they did not get along but to Shikamaru it only seemed as if they were incredibly happy; happy with Sasuke. He did not find this surprising. Often times it felt like he were pushed away by Ino to make room for the raven haired ninja.

At first Shikamaru didn't mind. He had always been an observer and watching Ino made him feel like he was there beside her. Yet this luxury soon faded away and became almost a chore. It was like watching the clouds; he would gaze all he wanted, but he would never be beside her.

At least, not the way he wanted to be. Sasuke would always be there, like a storm cloud, dark and angry, blocking Ino from his reach. Shikamaru would be the earth and could only watch as his sun was hidden away.

_I'm sorry I'm not as strong._

Shikamaru stopped walking and found himself standing beneath a street light. His shadow poured across the ground and he took a moment to study it. He always thought it was such a strange thing to see his shadow immobile after years of manipulating it to suit his needs. Ino had always thought his jutsu was rather lame. So long as everyone was being honest, so did he.

As his mind went from shadows to Ino, he couldn't help but look back. Naruto, Sasuke, Ino and Sakura were still parading in the street. Chouji had fallen asleep at the table; Asuma was still in deep slumber and Kakashi was as still as he had been moments before. Shikamaru's eyes drifted back to Ino.

She was beautiful, funny; smart when it counted and one of his closest friends. Ino was everything he wanted and, because of a certain stud of a ninja, everything he would never have.

_I'm sorry, Ino_.

"I'm sorry I'm not like Sasuke."


End file.
